It is almost 20 years since District Health Boards were established so the interim report reviewing our Health and Disability System released on 3 September, is timely.

It summarises issues regarded as impediments to better health outcomes, and offers some initial views on where gains could be made to improve performance of the system. Part two will be released next year with proposed recommendations for improvement.

A health system has two broad functions - providing care to people who are sick, and providing services to keep people well. Our current western medical model of care is mainly focused on treating illness and there is a growing risk this model will be ineffective in achieving equitable health outcomes across our whole population. Further it’s unlikely to be sustainable as the workforce will not be available and the cost would be prohibitive.

The Health and Disability system is a huge network of interrelated organisations each committed to providing quality care or services to their customers. It provides employment for almost 8.5% of the entire New Zealand workforce. However this complexity causes difficulty for people trying to navigate it, which is often at the heart of individuals’ and organisations’ dissatisfaction.

Here’s the link

This interim report will be a ‘must read’ for new Board members who should not then sit on their hands waiting for part two and subsequent guidance.

Key themes about the performance of the current system are listed here:

• The Health and Disability system needs to work in a much more cohesive, collective, and collaborative style based on a set of agreed values and principles that apply throughout the publicly funded system.
• Strong partnerships both within the system and, more importantly, with those who choose or need to use it will be essential.
• Stronger leadership at all levels with clear mandates and accountabilities.
• Māori need to be able to apply their Tiriti / Treaty rights and to have authority within the system to design and provide services that best suit their needs based on mātauranga Māori and cultural identity.
• More emphasis on preventive care and the promotion of wellness is needed with the growth of more multidisciplinary services and a reduced dependence on models that drive throughput ahead of service.
• Health services need to be planned more strategically, with more meaningful engagement with communities and better connections to other agencies with responsibilities impacting on key socioeconomic and cultural determinants of health.
• Workforce strategies need to be strengthened to ensure the future workforce better reflects the community it serves and has the skills necessary to operate effectively under different models of care.
• Data needs to be much more at the centre of decision making in the system, and this requires us to be much more determined about the type, standard, and relevance of the data that is collected.
• Prioritising more appropriate services for Māori, Pacific peoples, low-income and rural households to improve outcomes for these communities, rather than simply making system-wide changes in the hope that the benefits trickle down.
• The ever-increasing numbers of people with disabilities compels us to recognise that living with disability should no longer be treated as the exception. People living with disabilities have the right to expect equitable outcomes from the system, and we must ensure services strive to achieve that.

There is a lot of work to do and these points will help set the strategic direction and goals for Southern DHB, aimed at achieving equity, responsiveness and sustainability.

If elected, I’m committed to working to improve the performance of our Southern DHB Health System

VOTE #1 Marion POORE for Southern DHB

• Authorised by Marion Rosalind Poore, 307 Morven Ferry Rd, Arrow Junction Queenstown 9371